If, after tiring of piracy, that man came back, as his relatives wished him to do, the good dame was sure he would make mischief of some sort, and as like as not in the direction of her Dickory.

If this evil family genius should be lost at sea or should disappear from the world in some equally painless and undisgraceful fashion, Dame Charter was sure that she could in a reasonable time quiet the grief of poor Kate; for what right-minded damsel could fail to mingle thankfulness with her sorrow that a kind death should relieve a parent from the sins and disgraces which in life always seemed to open up in front of him.
About this time there came a letter from Barbadoes, which was of great interest to everybody in the household.

It was from Master Martin Newcombe, and of course was written to Kate, but she read many portions of it to the others.

The first part of the epistle was not read aloud, but it was very pleasant for Kate to read it to herself.

This man was a close lover and an ardent one.